Sounding the Ocean of Air Being Six Lectures Delivered Before the Lowell Institute of Boston, in December 1898

"Sounding the Ocean of Air" by Abbott Lawrence Rotch is a series of educational talks from over a century ago, which aims to unravel the mysteries of Earth's atmosphere. It begins by looking at how people throughout history have tried to understand weather and climate. The author emphasizes the importance of tools and methods, like balloons and kites, for studying the sky. By exploring both past ideas and new discoveries, the book gives a broad look at meteorology, focusing on what the atmosphere is made of, how it's structured, and how scientists have worked to study it over time. It seeks to build readers' knowledge about the atmosphere and the instruments used to probe its depths.